On Thursday afternoon, Porter Regional Hospital celebrated National Nurses Week by hosting a ceremony to honor the nurses and supporting staff that interact and care for their patients each day.

Filling the Community Room to standing room only capacity, over 101 nurses were honored in front of some of their peers and co-workers. Beginning with a meaningful, candlelight reading of the Florence Nightingale Pledge, an air of inspiration and purpose filled the room as the ceremony got underway.

Judy Davidson, Chief Nursing Officer at Porter Regional Hospital, was excited to take some time to honor the nursing staff.

“Nurses do so much for their patients every day,” Davidson said. “I think it’s important for them to be recognized for what they do. Many don’t realize the impact they have on the patients and I think this helps them realize how special they are.”

The appreciation for nurses and the work they do was clear as nominations were announced and the nomination story for each award winner was read aloud. Full of insightful stories of selfless acts, proactive work, and a calm demeanor in the face of adversity, these stories inspired awe, tears, and giggles as they were read to the crowd.

Dr. Jac A. Cooper, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, expressed his gratitude toward the staff. With a bit of humor, Dr. Cooper’s words rang true to the theme of the ceremony.

“On behalf of the board, on behalf of the physicians, the hospital, and myself personally, I want to thank you all. You are the patient’s advocate when they are here and that is an important job, so thank you,” Cooper said.

Sean Dardeau, current CEO of Porter Regional Hospital, shared this sentiment. He held up a photo and expressed his gratitude to all nurses in the room.

“Thank you for everything you do,” Dardeau said. “I sleep at night because you guys are in charge.”

Debra Polster, Director of Clinical Education and Professional Development expressed happiness and awe at the work that these nurses do. With many nominations at her fingertips, she found it difficult not to give each and every one of them an award for their hard work.

“We had 101 nurses recognized. To be recognized by your colleagues is truly a winning thing. There were several award categories where it was such a close race that I had to call for a tie breaker. So that to me is such a great testimony that these nurses truly are going above and beyond,” Polster said.

For the second year in a row, nurses at Porter Regional Hospital were honored for their dedication to patients. The program can be expected to continue each year, hopefully growing and allowing even more recognition for nursing staff.